title: Clinical assessment of patients with orofacial pain and temporomandibular disorders.
abstract: Accurate diagnosis of chronic pain disorders of the mouth, jaws, and face is frequently complex. It is common for patients with chronic orofacial pain to consult multiple clinicians and receive ineffective treatment before a correct diagnosis is reached. This problem is a significant public health concern. Clinicians can minimize error by starting the diagnostic procedure with a careful, accurate history and thorough head and neck examination followed by a thoughtfully constructed differential diagnosis. The possibility that the patient has symptoms of a life-threatening underlying disease rather than a more common dental, sinus, or temporomandibular disorder must always be considered.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral Health and Diagnostic Sciences, Center for Oral Medicine, College of Dental Medicine, Georgia Regents University, 1120 15th Street, Augusta, GA 30912, USA. istern@gru.edu
authors.forename: Ilanit
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Stern
authors.forename: Martin S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Greenberg
mesh_terms: D002114:Calcinosis / Q000175:diagnosis; D002908:Chronic Disease; D054893:Cone-Beam Computed Tomography; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005157:Facial Pain / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology*; D020773:Headache Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis; D006801:Humans; D007592:Joint Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008335:Mandibular Condyle / Q000473:pathology; D008487:Medical History Taking; D010003:Osteoarthritis / Q000175:diagnosis; D010808:Physical Examination; D011862:Radiography, Panoramic; D013705:Temporomandibular Joint Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D014277:Trigeminal Neuralgia / Q000175:diagnosis